BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE 71 
In addition to the actual clean-up, nearly 164,000 acres were thoroughly scouted 
without any wild cotton being found. A result of all this scouting is a more 
thorough knowledge of the exact location of all wild cotton in southern Florida. 
In order to obtain information regarding infestation in the wild cotton, bolls 
were inspected as the plants were being destroyed. In the summer of 1 '- >' Ji2 
infestation could readily be found in the vicinity of Bradenton, in Manatee 
County, and a rather heavy infestation occurred on several keys jus! off the 
coast in this county. Infestation could also be readily found, but to a lesser 
extent, in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties. Bolls from these counties have 
been inspected each season since 1932 without any infestation being found, and 
this year some 1.500 were examined, also with negative results. The progress 
made in these counties is particularly encouraging because they are closest to 
domestic cotton. Infestation was also found in 1932 in Lee and Collier Counties, 
the Cape Sable district of Monroe and Dade Counties, and on the mainland keys. 
The heaviest infestation was on Cape Sable and was at least 50 percent in places. 
There has been a reduction in the infestation each year and this year no speci- 
mens were found. A total of 20.250 bolls, representing the wild-cotton area, 
were inspected and the results were negative for the mainland of Florida. How- 
ever, 215 specimens of the pink bollworm were found in bolls from several small 
keys off the coast of Monroe and Dade Counties. These are the two southern- 
most counties of Florida, thus making the infestation as far removed from 
domestic cotton as is possible. 
CONTROL PROGRAM IN THE BIG BEND AREA OF TEXAS 
The pink bollworm infestation in the Big Bend area of Texas was heavier 
during the 1931 crop season than ever before, and early investigations indicated 
that the infestation would be still heavier during the 1932 season. Therefore, 
in the fall of 1932 a special program was begun to reduce this heavy infestation 
and thus lessen the danger of spread of the insect to the main Cotton Belt. 
These measures have been continued each year since and consist of a thorough 
clean-up of cotton fields and premises after picking is completed, delayed plant- 
ing of cotton the following spring so that the peak of moth emergence will be 
over before the cotton begins fruiting, and the use of trap plots of cotton to trap 
the late-emerging moths. 
The cleaning of cotton fields of the 1935 crop was begun on November 1. In a 
few fields the infestation was heavy, and there were heavily infested spot** in 
other fields. An effort was made to clean such places early in the season before 
many larvae might go into the ground for hibernation. This effort was only 
partially successful, as a good top crop was made, and farmers naturally wanted 
to pick all of the cotton they possibly could. The stalks were cut with nun betes. 
as usual, but this year specially constructed hand rakes were used for getting 
up the debris to replace the previous custom of picking such material by hand. 
The rakes proved much more economical and efficient, in that many fallen 
squares, blooms, and immature bolls, which oftentimes contained pink bollworm 
larvae, were collected, whereas laborers would gather only the bolls and locks 
in which they could see open cotton. After the sralks were cut and the material 
raked it was all burned. Approximately 90 percent of the cotton in the Big 
Bend is produced in Presidio County from the mouth of the Conchos River 
southward some 20 miles to the mouth of Alamito Creek. All of the fields in this 
section were cleaned. Above the mouth of 'he Conchos very Little cotton was 
produced, because of a water Shortage; however, all fields in this section were 
cleaned if the worm population justified it. The small acreage at Castolon, in 
Brewster County, was also cleaned. The clean-up was completed on January 
l , :». 3986, a total of 2,262 acres having been cleaned at an average cost per acre 
of $3.56. Part of the labor expense this year was borne bj the State of Texas, 
insofar as funds would permit, the remainder being furnished by the Bureau, 
The labor cosl was divided as follows: Federal, $5,561.10; State, $2,490.! L; a 
total cost of $8,052.01. Following the held clean-up, a house to-house canvass 
was mad.', and several lots of se.-d cotton which might have harbored infestation 
were disposed of. 
It has boon determined that cotton planted after April 15 does not begin 
fruiting before the majority of pink bollworm moths have emerged. Therefore 
farmers have beeu requested each year not to plant before this date, so that 
there would be no early fruit on which the bisect could propagate. This date 
has always been observed in the past, hut ibis year two small holds were planted 
